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Apparently buying/selling gear in Korea is both difficult and expensive. So, I’m cramming a year’s worth of gear buying/selling into, like, two weeks of being stateside.

The question is, do you buy lots of little things or one big thing? Is it better to explore lots of little gadgets and dodads or get one big thing to explore and create with?

For context, I plan on selling $1700 worth of stuff, and I might chip in some money or sell other things depending on which route I go.

Buy something you think you are likely to keep rather than things that you just haven't had a chance to try IMO. If its a big event that makes it more worthwhile.

I would vote against several small things---due to transport, maintaining them, storing them. I wouldn't want to take a suitcase of pedals or have to drop $300 on a flight case for a new keyboard. If it had any kind of warranty issues, that could lead to some servicing headaches.

Have you shut down getting a Digitone? https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... m2sqxMnQNF

That'd be one of the best portable options. How long are you going to be abroad---another year, or is it essentially an indefinite stay? If it was me, I'd grab a couple deep pedals & load up on soft synths.

Are you guys saying I should cancel my order for every Mooer pedal?



The Digitone’s intriguing but I really didn’t like sequencing stuff using the Digitakt when I had one, and I don’t have high hopes for the Digitone if it has a similar sequencer.

I’m debating getting a Rev2/Used Prophet6, or a Dr Scientist Atmosphere, a Ranger FX Reverb, and a Zoom H6 recorder. In either scenario I buy a Pocket Modular 400, because that system seems to be complex enough and “complete” enough to be fun on its own as well as with other things. But I could also see getting a Zoia, the recorder, and the Pocket Modular....

I just got the Digitone last month, and I've been using it as a sound source---just editing and storing pads/drones. No insight into its sequencing characteristics to share, but I imagine there's overlap between those two models. There are some cool sound packs out, as well as more on the way---like a West Coast synthesis collection. I've been able to get a killer Moog bass---really raw, aggressive 70s sound---in addition to bells/chimes/plucky sounds/sci-fi/evolving soundscapes.

Thought about mentioning the REV2, but I didn't know how you felt about that model. I played one briefly and it had killer pads. The modulation routing certainly gives it some flexibility, and I could see it having a longer honeymoon phase than something like the P6. I eventually moved on from the P6, because the OB-6's filter was vastly superior---it just sounded so much better that it became my primary synth. If you decide to go with a Sequential, WWBW/MF will price-match and discount over the phone. I got 15% off the OB-6 during a holiday. I'd be a bit nervous about getting one of those used, in the event of a warranty hiccup. Mine have worked perfectly, but if you browse the Sequential forum, there are some units that arrive needing to be recalibrated.

The Sledge 2.0 gets overlooked, but if you're into PPG sounds, that might be something to check out---no menu-diving, laid out like a vintage analog synth, and covers a wide variety of sounds. That's another model, though, which occasionally has QC issues. I'd definitely want to order that through Sweetwater, in case something ever needed retooling.

What about a MicroFreak? It's compact, inexpensive, and likely deeper than anything else under $500+. I'm a bigger fan of Arturia's software, but I imagine at some point I'll experiment with one of these.

As far as synth-friendly pedals, I've loved having the Particle 2.0 at my disposal. I'm basically using dual particles in series as a $600 poly synth---with a heavy wet mix, I get a complete timbral shift anytime I want to go there.

That Digitone is intriguing me a lot! I alread have the Digitakt (which I mostly misuse as a mono synth).And I love a lot that finally somebody putted a filter into a FM synth!

Rev2 is definitely a solid option if you wanted to have one synth for a long time. The only complaint I really hear about it is the Curtis filter, which some people just don't like. It's very versatile and deep though. Definitely in modular territory once you get into the mod matrix and gated sequencer.

I haven't seen a compelling video of the Pocket Modular yet, or at least not of the 400. A 0-Coast with a SQ-1 or Keystep would probably be more substantial and easier to travel with. Plus it would give you some different synthesis styles to explore.

I wound up going with a couple of expensive things. I got a killer deal on a Prophet 6, and the Zoia really seems like an amazing all-in-one thing. The Rev2 might’ve been a better choice in some respects, but the Prophet 6 might be a bit more what I’m looking for in a synth. We’ll see. The Sequential Circuits dealer for Korea’s not too far from where I live, so, if there’s an issue with the voices I could almost definitely get parts from there. That’s pretty well my entire gear budget, but I’ll probably pick up a Volto so I can have portable Zoia/SE02 jams.

01010111 wrote:I wound up going with a couple of expensive things. I got a killer deal on a Prophet 6... The Rev2 might’ve been a better choice in some respects, but the Prophet 6 might be a bit more what I’m looking for in a synth. We’ll see....

We'll see...
S L I M E D

DID YOU SEE!

If I was still stateside, I would’ve already flipped it and gotten a minilogue xd module (and immediately regretted it after seeing the hydra synth). As it is, if I don’t want to take a huge hit when I sell it, then I’m stuck with it. Any gear I buy here (that I don’t have imported from the US) is subject to import taxes when I go back. So, I don’t want to buy anything here and get fucked at the border.

Bottom line: I’m forced to keep a very nice synth for the indefinite future. It’s still a breeze to program, and the filter really does have a ton of character that makes it a lot more interesting than a standard low pass filter.

The Zoia and Volto are pretty sweet, though. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Zoia, but it’s very powerful and super handy ( even if it isn’t the funnest to use). The volto, surprisingly, doesn’t put out enough milliamps to power the SE02. But I already wired up a AA battery pack to power it anyway, and using the volto with the Zoia for couch jams is surprisingly fun.

If it makes you feel better, very different synth but, kind of “being stuck” with my Roland GAIA made me like it a lot more. Not similar in that 1. The synth does not sound nearly as good as yours 2. The synth was not as flexible as yours 3. It also was a fraction of the price.... where it is similar is the “can’t flip it”. Nobody would have wanted it, even at the remarkably discounted rate I acquired it. Plus, I didn’t good about pawning it off someone. Didn’t feel right.

Well... years later... I grew to love it... gave it my best friend last month cause he hates his Volca FM (don’t ask)... and now I miss it

If you told me in 2014-2015 I would miss my GAIA... I would have politely told you to go fuck yourself. .

I think you’re going to wind up liking it a lot. The Curtis filter (it is that... right?) is so instant BoC and PBS and other TV Adverts.

I almost got the Gaia! I thought the interface was spot on, but the microkorg was cheaper and sounded better to me.

I could be stuck with far worse. It’s just weird because for the past ten or so years I’ve made buying/flipping gear a hobby. So, being stuck with the gear I have due to physical location and not monetary restrictions is bizarre. It’s really hard getting used to this new set of restrictions.